Pad holders



J. E. FERNLY PAD HOLDERS 0 6 9 1 8 h c a M Filed NOV. 12, 1957 FIGJ.

INVENTOR.

J O S E PH EDWARD FERNLY ATTORNEYS PAD HOLDERS Joseph E. Fernly, Muskegon, Mich. Application November 12, 1957, Serial No. 695,742

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-51) My invention relates to pad holders and the like and more particularly to an improved pad holder having a supporting plate and a spring between which one or more I pads or like articles may be retained.

A common difliculty in the use of coiled springs and similar elastic retaining means is that the ends thereof.- rapidly become permanently distorted and weakened from being stretched beyond theelastic limits due to bending elastic retaining means carried thereby, said retaining.

means including an elastic member having at all times a length less than the width of the pad or article being held.

A further object of the invention is to construct an improved pad holder by providing a supporting plate and an elastic retaining member having an intermediate elastic member and arms at each end adapted to engage the edges of the pad or article being held.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved pad holder by constructing a supporting plate and an elastic retaining member comprising an intermediate elastic member and end arms pivotally attached at their outer ends to the supporting structure.

For a more complete understanding of the invention,"

reference may be had to the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention in which like reference characters refer to likeparts throughout the several views and in which;

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a preferred holder construction and a pad being retained by the spring.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on theline 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the pad holder of Fig. 1 but with another pad inserted.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational viewofja modification of the retaining'means of Fig. l, and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. I V

In Fig. 1, the preferred pad holderis illustrated as comprising a supporting plate 10 having flanges 11 on each side thereof and a clamp member Her other attaching means. The particular holder shown is of a kind clamped to the handle-bar of a motorcycle and is used Wired 5w Pa W 2,927,698 e sd Ma 195.

- 2 by'policemen for holding a 'traffic violations ticket 1130; other similar articles.

A coil'spring 14 or other suitable elastic member is supported between two arms 15, which preferably comprise fiat ribbed elements each having a piano hinge type end-as shown in Fig. 5 for pivotal attachment to flange 11 by passing through a slot 16 providedin the flange 11. The spring 14 must be at all times'shorte'r than the width of the pad 13,'so that the edges of the pad will engage only with the arms 15, as shown inFig. 2, the arms 15 pivoting upward so that the tension applied to the spring 14, whichengages only the flat upper'surface of the pad 13, is applied at all times along the straight longitudinal axis A of the spring 14. The arms 15 are preferably. pivotally connected also to'the ends of the spring 14. V

A common expedient of those who use similar spring pad - type holders is to lift the single pad 13 and insert another behind it;'that is, between the first pad 13 and the plate 10, as illustrated in Fig. 3. If the spring 14 of the holder were to engage the edge of the first pad 13, this procedure would cause excessive stretching of the ends of the spring 14, and would ultimately result in failure of the spring- 14 to retain the pads 13 in place. However, it is seen that in the present construction, the edges of the pad 13 will slide up on the arms 15, which pivot relative to the flanges lland the spring 14, stretching or tensioning V the spring only along the longitudinal axis .A, as indicatedjin Fig. 4. Thus the spring 14 is never deformed to'weaken or bend it, and it will have a much longer life than if the arms 15 were not used.

In addition, the arms rather than the spring grip the edges of the pad, and the spring tension acting throughv the arms is concentrated against the edges of the pad so that the pads are gripped' more securely to-prevent'the, likelihood of the pads becoming dislodged accidentally.

A less expensive modification of the invention is shown in Figs. .6 and 7, in whicha spring 20 is provided with integral arm ends 21 which are pivotally secured to holes 22 provided in the flanges 11. The arms 21 in this case are to a small extent flexible, so as to bend over the'edges of the pad 13 and still apply spring tension only along elastic retaining means comprising an elastic member and j substantially non-elastic arms carried on opposite ends of said elastic member, each arm having a hinge portion pivotally secured to said plate, a second hinge, portion pivotally secured to an end of said 'elastic member, and

an intermediate portion adapted toengage only an edge of a pad inserted between said retaining means and said" plate, said elastic member being adapted to engage only the fiat surface of said pad.

2. A pad holder comprising a supporting plate and an elastic retaining means carried by said plate, said elastic retaining means comprising an elastic member and substantially non-elastic arms carriedon opposite ends of said elastic member, each arm having a hinge portion pivotally secured to said plate, a second hinge portion pivotally secured to an end of said elastic member, and an intermediate portion adapted to engage only an'edge of a pad inserted between said retaining means and said plate, said elastic member being adapted to engage only the flat surface of said pad, said supporting plate comprising a substantially flat base member having spaced upstanding flanges, said retaining means extending across the space between said flanges and the first mentioned hinge portions of said arms being pivotally attached to said flanges and operable to selectively pivot said arms upward away from said fiat base member upon insertion of a pad, thereby only applying substantially. longitudinal tension on said elastic member. 1

References Cited in the file this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith -l Jan. 31, 1922 Ehrman June 20, 1922 Brokaw Sept. 16, 1924 Heim Dec. 13, 1949 

